Tales in the Moonlight
by Always A Dragon
Summary: 12-year-old Jill Thompson's life has been wrecked by a single bite. Now a Lycanthrope, she must deal with all the horror that comes with it. She's not the only werewolf at Hogwarts, though. Remus Lupin is, too. But how can they deal with something that drains Jill's life force with each passing month? Updating regularly.
1. Chapter 1

**_Jill sealed the envelope with a candle of wax, her heart as heavy as the chair she sat on. She tied it with string to the owl's outstretched leg, who hooted happily before flying out the window. The message was sent, the deed was done. Any hope of Jill's left her as surely as the owl had faded into the grey sky. All she had to do now was wait._**

**To:**

**Minerva McGonagall**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,**

**Scotland**

**To Professor McGonagall,**

**I am afraid I shall most likely be unable to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry either this or in following years, as I am currently a Lycanthrope. As there is no cure nor hope for me, and not wishing to endanger my fellow students, I am prepared to withdraw from the school. I am also prepared to hand over my wand, if necessary.**

**From:**

**Jill Thompson**

* * *

**To:**

**Jill Thompson,**

**23 Sunrise Ave,**

**London**

**Dear Miss Thompson,**

**Suitable arrangements have been made for your condition, which shall be explained to you on the first day of term. Your condition will be mentioned to the Heads of House, matron and groundskeeper. Term begins on September 1****st**** and you will be expected at school on the same date.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Minerva McGonagall**

**Deputy Headmistress**

* * *

**A/N: I'll be switching to longer chapters and story format next chapter, and It'll stay that way for a while.**

**This will be a multi-chapter fic. It's actually something I wrote a while back, before I posted stories on this wonderful website. Also, I didn't do my research and find out when the full moons for 1973/4 were, so the timeline for the story is pretty inaccurate. I'll post more today. **

**I'll switch between POV and letter format/story format regularly, but it will be obvious.**

**Please review! Thankee!**

**-Always A Dragon**


	2. Chapter 2

Jill stared tiredly at the high table, her eyes sliding in and out of focus. The candles were too bright, Dumbledore's voice too loud. She wanted to sleep, more than anything, but first she had to wait until the headmaster finished his speech.

"Are you okay?" Anna whispered to her, concerned. Jill forced herself to nod. Anna Green, a quiet but pretty girl, had befriended Jill last year, and was always checking to make sure Jill was okay. Such a question was to be expected.

"Just tired." She managed a weak smile, before turning back to the headmaster. He spread his arms wide, a cheerful smile fixed on his face. Jill watched him mouth the word "bedtime" and stood up with the rest of the students, releasing a cacophony of noise. The room blurred and spun, but Jill squinted and forced it to right itself again. The students jostled their way to the doors, elbowing whatever came into their path. Jill followed the crowd, barely able to keep her eyes open so she wouldn't be crushed by the stampede. She made her way through the entrance hall and was halfway across it when she became aware someone was shaking her shoulder.

"Jill. Jill, it's professor McGonagall." Anna gave her one last shake before pointing to the waiting Professor. Jill frowned in annoyance – could no-one understand her need for sleep? But McGonagall tapped her foot and tightened her lips in a way that made Jill sigh and trot in the opposite direction of the Gryffindor Tower. She wondered what she'd done wrong; certainly nothing she could remember.

"Come with me." Jill was pleased to note that McGonagall's voice was as crisp as ever. She followed her feet as she was led up several stairs and a corridor, and finally into a small and cosy room with a fire that took up half of one wall. The professor sat herself down behind a desk, looking sternly up at Jill. Jill frowned and shifted awkwardly, waiting for accusations to be laid and punishments to be sentenced. McGonagall coughed slightly.

"It is my duty as deputy headmistress to inform you of the preparations that have been made for your condition." The world tipped and tumbled as if in a storm, making Jill feel nauseous. Oh. She hadn't done anything wrong, then. _I should've expected this, _she thought grimly. McGonagall carried on. "You will report to the hospital wing two hours before moonrise. Madam Pomfrey will escort you to a house built for your transformations, and will collect you in the morning. Is that clear?" Jill nodded, her head feeling as if it was stuffed with cotton wool. A flicker of emotion – was it pity? – flashed across McGonagall's face, but just as quickly, it was gone.

"If you ever need to speak with a teacher, the House Heads have been informed of your condition, along with the Groundskeeper and Madam Pomfrey. It would… be best if you did not inform anyone else of your condition." It was strange, listening to such friendly words being spoken in such a brisk voice. Jill nodded again. It was taking all her energy just to concentrate on Professor McGonagall's words. "By the way, Ms Thompson, there is another… Lycanthrope… in the school, so do not be alarmed by their appearance next full moon." Some of the cotton wool disappeared from Jill's head as she registered this and frowned slightly.

"You are dismissed." McGonagall reached across the desk for a pile of paper, and Jill walked out the door. She stumbled up and down steps, somehow got through the portrait hole and entered the Gryffindor common room. Already half asleep, Jill went up to her dormitory.

"What was _that _about?" Anna asked curiously, sitting on the bed opposite Jill's. Jill looked at her own four-poster, which was blurring and shifting.

"Ask me tomorrow." She replied, and collapsed onto the bed.


	3. Chapter 3

I returned to the common room, my expression befuddled. James and Sirius were, as ever, goofing around. Sirius nudged James when he saw me. James grinned, yelled "Remus!" and beckoned me over to where he sat. I walked over to them, then held up my hand as they started to open their mouths.

"I need to tell you something." I muttered. "Upstairs, now."

"Bet you got in detention." Sirius joked, getting up and following me to the spiral staircase. "Only a detention would make our Moony so glum."

"It's not a detention." I said shortly. We reached the stairs, the sounds if the common room getting slowly softer. "So be quiet."

James snorted, though he did as I asked. I pushed open the dorm door, ushering Sirius and James in.

"Where's Peter?" I asked, looking around. Most of the time, If he wasn't following James around, he was in the dorm, puzzling over some piece of homework.

"We sent him off to research more stuff. We still can't work out what the last ingredient in the Animagus potion is." I frowned, disapproving of the way Peter was constantly being ignored and shoved away. Sirius, who either did not see or did not care about my displeasure, sat down on the floor with a half eager, half irritated expression on his face. "Are you going to tell us what's got you in a twist?" he asked.

For the past 20 minutes I had debated whether or not to tell my friends about the information I had gleaned. It was not _mine _to give away, and I am sure I would not have been happy had I been the subject. Then again, I reasoned, my friends would no doubt uncover the piece of news anyway, and ask why I did not share it immediately. I was being cowardly, I told myself, but surely being cowardly is preferable to losing one's friends.

"There's another werewolf at Hogwarts." I said at last. A hushed, disbelieving silence followed. "I don't know who it is." I added, responding to James's unasked question. "McGonagall told me 20 minutes ago. She took me into her office and told me there was another Lycanthrope in the school."

"D'you think it could be a first year?" Sirius looked worried, as did James. I shrugged, troubled. I knew how scary it had been in my first year, always terrified someone would discover my secret, always having to invent up stories.

We heard hurried footsteps outside, coming up the staircase. James and I stood up quickly. The door burst open, an excited Peter stopping mid-step as he noticed our tense posture and the way relief washed over us. He blinked as James and I looked at each other. I cleared my throat.

"There's another werewolf in the school." I said.


	4. Chapter 4

It was two hours before moonrise- Jill had checked her watch. Her head pounded and she felt the same nauseous feeling she had the previous two times. Jill had come up with some pathetic excuse to escape her friends, an excuse she probably wouldn't remember come tomorrow. As she made her way to the Hospital Wing, Jill's nausea increased and it was all she could do not to throw up. So focused was she, that she only realised she had reached the hospital wing when she was faced with the two oak doors. She pushed them open – where had the time gone? – and walked inside. Almost immediately, Madam Pomfrey came bustling towards her, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Good, good." She said, with the slightest hint of urgency in her voice. Jill didn't really care, she was too preoccupied with her splitting headache. "We're all here now. Come on, follow me." She set of at a remarkable pace, towards a bed where a boy sat, head in hands. "Up you get, Lupin." The boy stood up, wincing, and instantly saw Jill. They stared at each other, dumbfounded. Jill recovered quickest. Her mouth twitched, amused. _Remus Lupin. _Over the past month, Jill had wondered who the other Lycanthrope might be, but never would she have picked Lupin. _It was, _she thought, _another example of pure irony, to have the name Remus Lupin and be a werewolf. _Madam Pomfrey tutted in irritation. "Hurry up!" she said, bringing the two out of their stupor. Jill rubbed her head, going over to where Madam Pomfrey was opening the doors. Like before, Jill found the nausea and headache left little energy for thought or concentration, and the journey out of the castle passed quickly. It was only when Lupin asked her a question that Jill realised she was halfway across the grounds.

"Pardon?" She asked, then grimaced as the sound increased the pain in her head.

"I asked whether you were scared."

"What point would being scared be if it didn't change anything?"

Lupin, it seemed, had no answer for that. A few minutes passed.

"Do you have a headache?" He asked. It seemed he was trying to create a conversation. Jill snorted.

"What do _you _think?"

"Probably not."

Jill looked over at him. He was smirking.

Remus Lupin was in his third year at Hogwarts, one more than Jill. As a result, the few times they had spoken to each other was if one of them had a note to pass on from a teacher to the other. The odd times Jill had taken note of Lupin was if he was standing near James or Sirius as they pulled yet another prank. It was strange to know that the quiet, insignificant boy was a werewolf. On reflection, Jill supposed he felt the same about her.

Thinking to turn Lupin's conversation starting game back on him, she asked a question.

"How long have you been a Lycanthrope?"

He didn't look very startled; she supposed he had been expecting it.

"Since I was five."

Jill's eyebrows flew up into her brown hair.

"Merlin's _Beard_, that's young."

"What about you?"

"Last summer. I thought it was a wolf at first. By the time I remembered there aren't any wolves in Britain, it was too late." Jill tried and failed to keep the bitter note out of her voice. That night had been one of the few times she had been scared, though she would only admit it to herself.

They had reached a small hill, upon which rested a tree. _Not just any tree, _she remembered, _that's the Whomping Willow. _It had been planted the year before she came to Hogwarts, so she had been told, and was notorious for its will to break the bones of anyone who came near it. At the moment, it was waving its branched threateningly at them. Madam Pomfrey waved her wand, muttering something. A large stick rose into the air and shot forwards to – not very gently – prod a knot in the trunk. It was as if the tree had become stone. Not a branch swayed or a twig rustled. Jill's mouth dropped open.

"That's what I felt like too, the first time I saw it." Lupin whispered, grinning at Jill. She closed her mouth, ignored her headache and followed madam Pomfrey as the matron disappeared into a gap between the roots. Jill went first, sliding down a slope and into a tunnel. It was dark, the only source of light coming from Madam Pomfrey's wand. Jill and Madam Pomfrey, neither of them particularly tall, only had to double over to walk in the passageway. Lupin, however, was forced to practically crawl.

It wasn't the kind of tunnel that encouraged conversation, and for the rest of the way, the trio remained silent, hurrying towards the end. Jill was already suffering from an intense headache and nausea. The tunnel added an aching back, something that deeply frustrated Jill. _They could've made it a bit taller, _she thought, though did not voice it. After what had to have been an hour, the passage sloped upwards, making one last turn. In front of Jill, Madam Pomfrey clambered out of a hole and into what seemed to be a room. To the right was a door. Evidently hurrying now, the matron half-dragged Jill through it. Up dusty stairs and onto a landing, then through another door. Everything, Jill noticed, was ripped and clawed and scratched. Madam Pomfrey led Jill into a room.

"I'm going to lock the door," She explained, "and then I'm going to leave. I'll return in the morning, and you'll spend the rest of the day in the Hospital Wing, no doubt sleeping. Understand?"

Jill nodded, feeling as though she was once again talking to Professor McGonagall. Those two had a lot in common. Madam Pomfrey backed out of the room and shut the door. Jill heard the lock click. It seemed Remus was also locked in a room; she heard the lock click again.

It was strange, sitting in the darkness in a room that looked as though it had participated in a war. The feeling wasn't fear, Jill decided, something more like pity. She almost laughed out loud, had she not had a headache. You couldn't feel _pity for rooms!_ After a while, pain started to shoot up Jill's leg. She gritted her teeth as bone shifted and fur sprouted. Pain was _weakness. _Slowly though, her arms and neck transformed, until she was almost completely werewolf. She screamed, but the sound that came out was more of a howl.

_I am not- _

Then all human thoughts disappeared.


	5. Chapter 5

"Mummy, what lives in the Shrieking Shack?" The four year old looked up at his mother. In the distance, howls and roars could be heard, though they were far away and mercifully not that loud. Penelope paused, about to turn out the light. Instead, she sat down on the edge of the bed, thinking.

The house on the edge of the town had been quiet for many years, run-down and dilapidated. Its windows were boarded up, and no door had ever been found. Three years ago, something changed. The house was no longer silent. It was no longer the mundane place it used to be. Some said angry spirits lived there, others said it was a place of torture. It terrified all.

Penelope pursed her lips, making her son giggle. Suddenly, she stretched her arms out and roared.

"Monsters! Werewolves! Evil ghosts! Ready to eat you up!"

The four year old ducked under the covers, hiding. Slowly, he poked his head up.

"_Really?" _He asked, wide-eyed. Penelope nodded.

"Goodnight, you." She whispered.

"Goodnight, mummy." Came the reply.

"Nox." Murmured Penelope, and the light went out.

That night, Penelope listened to the wails and screams from the Shrieking Shack. Not for the first time, she wondered what lived there that made even the bravest men fall to their knees.

* * *

**To:**

**Mr and Mrs Thompson**

**23 Sunrise Ave,**

**London**

**Dear Mother and Father,**

**The first month of school has been okay. I'm still friends with Anna and Lisa, and I've made friends with two more people. They're both Gryffindors, too, and in my year. Shirley and Mary. According to Professor McGonagall, I'm getting quite good at Transfiguration, which is supposed to be really difficult. I'm okay at everything else. Not much else has happened.**

**There's an old house which I go to turn into a werewolf. It's accessible by this really small tunnel which is long and gives me back aches. There's another werewolf at school too. His name's Remus Lupin. I feel sorry for him, having a name like that and being a werewolf. He seems nice but he hangs around Potter and Black (who are idiots) so he's probably only pretending.**

**None of my friends have guessed anything fishy is going on yet.**

**I hope you are both fine and managing without me. How's the dog? Still scared half to death?**

**Hoping all is well,**

**Love from,**

**Jill.**


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up in the same place as I did after every full moon; In the Hospital Wing. As expected, James, Sirius and Peter were crowded around the hospital bed, talking quietly. I yawned, still feeling terrible after last night. I could feel a sharp pain across my arm and remembered I'd bitten myself there.

"Moony!" James said excitedly. Sirius punched him in the arm, glaring at him. "Sorry." He whispered apologetically. When I had sat up and drunk a glass of water from the bedside table, he continued. "How are you?" I grimaced.

"As well as anyone who's turned into a wolf and back again in 24 hours can be, How're you?"

James waved the question away impatiently. Through the haze of pain and tiredness that clogged my brain, I noticed James and Sirius both looked as if they were waiting for something. I glared up at them, trying to work out what they wanted to know. Finally, I got it.

"Jill Thompson. The other lycanthrope is Jill Thompson." For the whole of the previous week my friends had been wondering who the other lycanthrope might be, though their guesses were far from the truth. "From the year below us." I said, as the name alone didn't seem to ring a bell. I sighed impatiently. "The Gryffindor who isn't scared of anything, remember?" As slow as snails, understanding dawned on their faces. Sirius frowned.

"That boring girl who hangs out with Lisa Harris?" He snorted quietly. "She medium height, brown hair, brown eyes, medium at every subject she attempts? She's a werewolf?"

James raised his eyebrows.

"Damn, Sirius. I never knew you payed such attention to her."

Sirius ignored him, still talking.

"The _only _thing interesting about her is that she's impossible to prank. That's _it. _She's just.. just boring."

My friend's voices dimmed, and within a few seconds I was no longer awake.

* * *

I sat in the Great Hall, moodily picking at a piece of bacon. I was tired and exhausted and not feeling that great at all, despite the full moon already having passed three days ago. Anna sat next to me, the exact opposite, cheerfully doling out copious amounts of jam onto her toast. She was saying something to me, but my brain only picked up snatches of it. How was I this tired? My eyes flittered over to my left. Lupin sat some way down, with his stupid friends gathered around him. Potter, Black and Pettigrew.

Lupin wasn't tired, I noticed. Was it because he'd been a Lycanthrope longer than me? It unnerved me, this lethargic state I was in.

"Jill?" Anna asked me. My tiredness lifted a bit as I tried to concentrate on what she was saying. "You're not listening to me, are you?" I frowned as Anna's annoyed face swam into view.

"Hmmm?"

"You've been like this all week. Why don't you want to listen to me?"

I sighed, berating myself for letting my exhaustion overpower me.

"I _do _want to listen to you, Anna. I'm just _tired." _I explained.

Anna looked slightly guilty, but smiled at me and carried on talking.

"I suppose you would be, if you've been having romantic walks with that boyfriend of yours."

"What?!" I yelped, dropping my jug of pumpkin juice onto the table. The orange seeped into the table cloth, drawing odd looks from the other Gryffindor's. I didn't care right now. _What boyfriend?! _Anna stared at me in a disgruntled sort of way.

"I've been talking about it for the last five minutes, Jill. You haven't been listening at all, have you?"

"No."

"I saw you three nights ago. I didn't see who the boy was, but I could you were walking with him."

_Oh. She saw me walking with Remus to the Whomping Willow. That's who she means. _I felt a kind of hollow, shameful feeling manifest in my stomach.

"Well, four nights ago I was in the library, so you've evidently got the wrong person." I lied, now attempting to mop up the spilt juice with a napkin. My exhaustion was starting to return, and I could hear Anna's voice going all fuzzy and faint. I could tell she didn't believe me. My bacon and the Pumpkin Juice were blurring together slightly.

It worried me how Lupin seemed fine, his post-full moon exhaustion non-existent. Why was a different? Was I weak?

"Jill!" Anna raised her eyebrows at me.

"I'm sorry- I'm so tired-"

Anna sighed, clearly disappointed in me. So was I.

"I'm going to get my stuff and go to class." She said, standing up and disbanding her toast. "Join me when you care to listen."

I knew she'd forgive me, eventually. She was Anna, and she never held a grudge for long.


	7. Chapter 7

It was less than a week until full moon, yet for once, Jill didn't feel tired. Everywhere students helped themselves to an array of food, marvelled at the decorations and chattered happily. It was Halloween, and Halloween meant good times. When at last the desserts had been polished off and even the older students were yawning, everyone returned to their dormitories.

Jill was climbing into her pyjamas when Mary called out.

"Hey, Jill."

"What?"

"Lisa's telling spooky stories. Want to join?"

Jill felt a happy, giddy feeling spread throughout her, Lisa was well known for her ability to tell stories, something most people rarely had a chance to hear.

"Yeah, hang on…" Jill pulled her arm through the sleeve before tugging back the curtains on her four-poster. Everyone sat on their bed, staring around the room. Lisa had tied her hair in a ponytail, and when Jill had settled herself, she spoke, her voice quiet and low.

"The muggle village of Biblinton had suffered for many years. Every so often, and always at night, strange sounds could be heard. It was a ferocious howling, accompanied by screams that sounded as if someone was being tortured. While the sounds scared many people, no harm came to Biblinton, and the villagers learned to live with the sounds. After several years, they became used to them.

All seemed well. That was, until the daughter of the local baker went missing. The villagers searched and searched, from the woods to the marshes, yet the only trace they found were several long claw marks in the ground."

Jill frowned, a feeling that something that Lisa had just said was supposed to be familiar to her. Shaking her head in frustration, she returned to the story, revelling in the looks of fear in her friend's faces.

"The villagers eventually gave up, blaming wild animals for the sudden disappearance. For seven weeks, the villagers enjoyed a quiet, if sombre, peace. On the 56th night, there was the sound of screaming and shrieking, and in the morning, the two sons of a farmer had gone missing. Once again, they were never found, though there was a trail of blood leading into the forest. Frightened, the villagers began to dread sundown. Over the ensuing year, there were 10 more disappearances. Many of the villagers left, and those that did stayed only because they had no choice. In the darkest of times, when all seemed lost, a stranger came to visit Biblinton. Unbeknownst to the villagers, he was a wizard. He had heard tales of the recent disappearances, and immediately guessing the problem, called everyone to the village centre.

'Do not despair, good people!' He cried, 'I know what ails you! Tis a werewolf!-'"

Jill's grin slipped off her face and a cold, sickly sensation spread through her stomach.

"A werewolf?" she asked.

Lisa broke off, giving Jill and annoyed look. She rolled her eyes.

"_Yes, _a_ werewolf."_

Huffing and frowning, she continued the story. Jill wasn't sure she wanted to hear it now, though she knew she would raise suspicion if she went straight to bed. Normal people, she thought sadly, viewed werewolves with fear.

"'Tis a werewolf!'

At these words the villagers began to quake.

'How may we rid ourselves of this beast?' someone asked. The wizard told them of his plan, which was slowly put into place.

When at last the full moon showed itself, the villagers set out, armed with pitchforks and the wizard. Following the sound of the howls, they eventually came across a wolf, bigger than any wolf, with a short snout and a tufted tail. At first, the villagers tried to run, but stopped when the wizard reminded them of their obligations to their families. The werewolf was angry and blood-thirsty, leaping for one of the villagers, who fended it off with a pitchfork.-"

Jill clenched her hands, fighting the urge to vomit. This wasn't _right._

"As quick as lightning the wizard drew his wand, sending a bolt of energy at the werewolf. It collapsed, dead."-

Jill dug her nails into her palms, hot anger rising up inside her. She tried to calm down. It wasn't her friend's fault, after all, merely the prejudice society had created.

"The villagers rejoiced, free at last from the curse of the werewolf. The wizard departed happily, and slowly, the original villagers started to return. For 27 days there was much feasting, and for 27 nights there was much happiness. On the 28th night, the people cheered as the full moon came up. They no longer had to live in fear of their lives, scared to go outside. They no longer had to lock their doors.

All seemed well.

It was only when the villagers stopped cheering that they heard the horrible, familiar howls of a werewolf.

It was still out there."

Lisa leaned back, grinning, to collect the looks of mingled excitement and fear on everyone's faces. Everyone, that is, except Jill. Lisa frowned, her forehead creasing like old paper.

"didn't you like it?" she asked, sounding disappointed. Jill blinked, startled, and looked up from her clenched fists.

"Pardon?"

"I asked if you liked it."

"Jill smoothed her features into a smile, though it did not reach her eyes.

"Yes. I found it quite… interesting." Jill lied, feeling thoroughly sickened. This seemed to satisfy Lisa, who smiled back.

"That would be quite scary, though." Anna piped up, looking eagerly around. "having to face off a werewolf, I mean. With no wands and only one person who could write magic…" She trailed off, shuddering.

"They're not _all _bad." Jill protested, then biting down on her lip to stop anything else from slipping out. She was met with befuddled stares and frowns. Lisa was looking at her in particular, with the kind of expression teachers wore when a pupil had gotten a question wrong in front of their class.

"You know that werewolves suffer from a permanent loss of moral sense, right?"

Jill would've laughed if she hadn't been feeling this angry. She would've come up with a furious retort too, but was saved by the girl sitting next to Lisa.

"My father says there's a registration werewolves sign up to, so the ministry can keep tags on them." Shirley -a brown haired and freckled girl- said. "Problem is, no-one signs up to it.

"Yeah, cause a _loss of moral sense, _Shirley."

"They have a capture unit too. For the werewolves who go crazy on the full moon."

"I sincerely doubt the ministry would let them roam around _free_."

"I heard they release them back into the wild."

"_I heard they ki-"_

"Guys! Guys, can we _not?!" _Jill was struggling to contain the hatred rising in her and the horrible, squirming sensation that sat in her stomach like a disgusting, hairy wolf. Her eyes were screwed shut, a deep, ugly frown plastered over her face. Jill didn't care that six pairs of eyes were looking curiously at her, or that Shirley and Mary were whispering urgently. She felt as if she were going to throw up. Jill stood up, yanking the curtains on her four-poster across, shielding her from her dorm mates and their muttering. She lay down, tucking herself into her red blankets. As the minutes ticked by, Jill's anger faded, and was replaced by a terrible sadness. This was what her friends thought of her. She had hoped, one day to tell her friends about her condition. Now she saw her dreams dashed to pieces by one story.

A single tear rolled down Jill's cheek.

It was Halloween, and Halloween did not mean good times.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, look, a long chapter! **

**And so this fic takes a darker turn. Don't worry, it'll get worse. **


	8. Chapter 8

Severus Snape would often sit in the library, pouring over thick books on various subjects. What he did not often do, however, was write. His hand flew across the parchment, his greasy hair obscuring most of his face. On the table he was sitting at lay a book, and Severus's eyes flicked back and forth from the book to his parchment. After several minutes, he turned the page, copying down anything he thought useful. The light from the closest library window had almost completely faded when a red-haired girl bounded towards him happily. She dragged a chair out from another table, still smiling.

"Mary said Flitwick is going to start us on Cheering Charms." She pronounced happily. "I've been looking forwards to it since the start of the year, it's supposed to be really good fun – what about you, Sev?"

The boy gave a non-committal grunt, his nose still an inch from the parchment.

"Sev?" She asked again, a small frown forming between her eyebrows. "Sev, are you even _listening _to me?"

"Hmm?" He finally looked up at the red-head, who rolled her eyes in annoyance. Severus continued to read through the book. The girl looked over curiously.

"Lycanthropy… Full Moon…" Her frown deepened and she eyed her friend. "What is _this _about?" This time the boy looked up, grinning.

"This" he announced, waving his hand at the bits of parchment and the old book "Is the fruit of my research. It's on werewolves." He leaned forwards, suddenly serious. It made him seem all the more strange. "Lily, I believe there is a werewolf at Hogwarts. Maybe two. I've been suspicious for a long time, and I think I know who it is. I think it's Remus Lupin."

Lily raised her eyebrows at him before bursting into giggles.

"You think," she said, doubled over, "_You _think, Remus Lupin is a _werewolf_?!" Lily was in hysterics now, drawing curious glances from several first years nearby.

"You don't believe me." Severus retorted mulishly. He crossed his arms, defiant. "Where do _you _think Lupin goes every month? On a full moon, too. He always comes back pale and tired looking. What about the scars on his face, then?"

Lily shook her head, finally able to control her humour.

"I'm going back to the common room. This is _too_ funny." She chuckled, getting up and heading off. The ghostly sound of laughter echoed down the hall for the next minute, before finally fading away.

Severus sulked for a bit, tapping his quill against the table. Then, struck by an idea, he hurried to the window. The sun was almost down, a few golden streaks piercing the night sky. It couldn't be moonrise yet, could it? Severus stood at the glass for several minutes, his hooked nose stuck to it. Finally – there – three figures strode across the silvery lawn. Snape could just recognise one of the figures -it was definitely Madam Pomfrey- but the other two… One was quite tall, the other slightly shorter than Madam Pomfrey. They had walked almost out of sight by now, but they were coming to a halt on a hill… with a very familiar looking tree. Severus didn't see what happened next as they were too far away, but they never returned, not even when he watched for another 15 minutes.

That confirmed something, though. There were _2 _werewolves in the school.


	9. Chapter 9

I hadn't even walked through that tunnel a full three times for me to decide I hated it. It was bloody small, to say the least. It was rather round, too, almost as if it had been tunnelled out by a mole. Roots stuck up everywhere, and at odd angles, too, so you could trip and lose your footing at any time.

As much hatred as I felt towards the stupid tunnel, I was glad I wasn't Lupin. He seemed already wolfish, hunched over and on all fours like that. I told him so, and he glared at me. Like the last time, Madam Pomfrey locked us in our separate rooms before scuttling off. I sat on the floor, not really thinking of much. My headache wasn't half as bad as last time, though my bones were aching something fierce.

Lupin coughed in the other room. The noise was so sudden, so loud that I could have sworn Lupin was sitting next to me. Struck by a sudden inspiration, I called out.

"Can you hear me?"

My voice resounded throughout the room.

"So the walls _aren't _soundproof, then."

I snorted, amused.

"Yeah, no kidding. Heard of the name 'Shrieking Shack'?"

Lupin let out a bark of laughter. There followed a silence in which I winced, and I imagined he did the same.

"Why D'you reckon they lock us up in here for? I've seen the rest of the place; it looks as though you've spent some time in it before." I mused, once my head had stopped ringing. It had been forefront in my thoughts for several days now. As far as I knew, werewolves didn't harm each other, only themselves and humans.

"You don't know?" Lupin asked, surprised.

"No."

"Ah… Well- You see- It's kind of awkward-"

"_Lupin."_

He sighed.

"When two werewolves get together, they… er- mate and.. they produce cubs…" he trailed off.

"Ahhh…" I said. "Ew."

"I'm surprised that you haven't heard of it before. Not that it's happened often."

"Yeah…"

I picked at a few hairs forming along my legs. It must have been hard, for Lupin to have lived practically all his childhood as a werewolf. It must have been hard for his parents, too. Mine, at least, only had to deal with me twice.

Both times I had been locked in the shed.

It still had dents in it.

* * *

A headache had been forming for the past hour. In the past few minutes, the pain had tripled, getting steadily worse. Within the minute, I was clutching my head and gritting my teeth. The moon was rising. Suddenly, abruptly, bone shifted, more hair sprouted. It was as if a torch had been lit. I could smell everything around me – Lupin, the walls, the trees outside – my vision started to blur and spin and I cried out. I heard another scream, wolfish and beast-like – it was Lupin, in the room next to me. My human-ness was slipping away like water off glass, and it all _hurt! _I pulled my rapidly shrinking hair, clawed myself with pointed and blackened nails. It was pain like none other – I felt as though every inch of me was being pounded and stabbed. It hurt! It _hurt! _My feet grew longer, pointed, hairier – everything hurt, everything ached – I wanted it to stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! STOP-

* * *

I woke up in the Shrieking Shack. For a few seconds I panicked, uncertain as to where I was. I wasn't scared, though. I'm never scared. The first rays of dawn were shining through a bit where the Shack's wooden boards didn't meet each other. For a minute I thought I was still dreaming. As my feelings of disorientation vanished, and I remembered where I was, the recognition of a stinging pain across my cheek and leg kicked in. I gasped, squeezing my eyes against the tears involuntarily rising to my eyes. Shuffling myself onto my elbows, I saw my robes were covered in blood. I lifted up the hem slightly and had to bight my tongue to stop myself from screaming out in horror. My leg was a mess of blood, bruises and yellowish pus. Little rivers of blood flowed from it. I knew instantly that I wouldn't be able to walk on it – I would most likely faint, throw up or both. For obvious reasons, there was no mirror in the little room I was in, so I couldn't see whether or not the cut on my cheek was much worse. I brushed my fingers lightly across it – they came away bright red. If it was only just moonset, I had another half hour until Madam Pomfrey came. I lay back down, gritting my teeth. The floor was dusty, the walls scratched, my leg aching worse than the time I'd broken my finger. I was also exhausted, and had slipped into fretful dreams less than five minutes later.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey shook me awake, and even in the few shadowy bits of light that danced off the wooden walls, I could see she was pale. It did little to help my own anxiety.

"Up now, come on." I was pulled up by the armpits, still half unconscious. Lupin was standing outside, looking like he himself might collapse. Madam Pomfrey muttered something, and I felt myself float up – similar to the helium balloons I had once played with. We didn't talk as I was too concentrated on not fainting, Madam Pomfrey was too focused on keeping me levitated and Lupin was too tired. We stumbled through the tunnel, onto the grounds and into the castle. It wasn't yet late enough for students to have left their dormitories, so we kept quiet. Madam Pomfrey entered the Hospital Wing just in time. Lupin and I had gone white from exhaustion and pain. I floated down onto the bed and Madam Pomfrey rushed over to me, pulling out a small vial of something or other. Through the fog of pain I could see that it glinted.

"Is that- Is that silver?" I croaked.

"Hold still." Was her answer. "It will hurt, though you'll feel better later." She dipped a finger in and dabbed it on my cheek. There was a burning sensation, as if fire was spreading across the cut. My skin stretched and tingled. Green and silver smoke billowed up and I coughed. "It's silver and dittany, both crushed." Madam Pomfrey said, who was about to dab some on my leg. "It seals the cut and stops infection."

I hissed and clenched my fists as fire rippled across my leg. The pain lasted slightly longer than it had on my cheek. No doubt the leg wound was deeper and longer. Madam Pomfrey waved her wand, cleaning the cuts on my cheek and leg.

"It'll leave a scar." The matron said soberly. "Any wounds you inflict upon yourself will, I'm afraid."

I nodded, glum. She handed me a potion for the pain, which I swallowed. Madam Pomfrey tugged the curtains around my bed before walking away.

Madam Pomfrey was quite nice, I decided, even if she did get slightly skittish before the full moon. I didn't care much, as her nervousness never extended to any other time. Madam Pomfrey reminded me of my mother, in a way – always kind and caring and fussing. My mother was tall, though, with neat brown hair, and Madam Pomfrey was short with wisps of hair that stuck out as though they had been electrocuted. I had always thought the matron quite bossy, the kind of person who like things in order. It amazed me that a person who could act so severely to those who disturbed her patients could act so kindly to those that needed help. Another thing I liked about Madam Pomfrey was that she liked to clean _everything. _It was almost funny, in a way. I has seen her polishing her doorknob to her office multiple times. Her office was no doubt spick and span.

A sharp lightning bolt of pain streaked through my head, pulling me away from my thoughts.

Maybe I should try to get some rest.


	10. Chapter 10

Remus was halfway to his charms classroom when he was grabbed roughly by the elbows. Anybody else would have screamed or produced some kind of hex, but Remus, who was used to it by now, merely let himself be dragged away. A few seconds later, he looked down into the eyes of James, Sirius and Peter.

"I have charms class, guys." He reminded them wearily. Unsurprisingly, this did not affect his friends in the slightest. James seemed positively bouncing with unrestrained glee. The four of them were tucked into a niche in the wall, which was covered by a tapestry. They were practically undetectable.

"James was thinking-" Sirius announced.

"How unimaginable." Remus interrupted, already stepping backwards. "What is _not _unimaginable is how late-"

"Shut up, will you?" James asked, grabbing his friend's elbow. He had a huge grin on his face, like a child who has discovered the stash of chocolate. "I was thinking – the other day – in the greenhouses – well, one of them, anyway – and it's the right time of year – and, I mean, why not start now-"

James voice was growing louder by the word, and so far none of them had made any sense to Remus.

"Spit it out, James!" Remus snapped, impatient. At this rate he was going to miss all of charms class. James swallowed.

"We have the mandrake leaves." He blurted out.

Remus's eyebrows drew together with an audible clack. He didn't need to ask what the leaves were for – he knew the answer well enough. For the past six months or so, James, Remus and Peter had been deciphering runes and chasing old scrolls, trying to figure out how to become Animagus's. Less than a month ago, they had deciphered the runes and found all the scrolls, they had set their sights on the first step: obtaining a Mandrake leaf. It wasn't an easy task. First they had checked the greenhouses, all seven of them. When that had yielded nothing, they began to suspect that there might be some mandrake in Slughorn's stores. They had searched for a way in, and found it locked with an anti-alohomora.

James was still grinning.

"Aren't you going to ask me how I did it?"

Remus could see he wouldn't be going to charms anytime soon.

"How did you do it? he questioned tiredly.

"Peter her," James dipped his head at the small, mousy boy, who had gone a delicate shade of pink "managed to distract old Sluggy by asking him about potions. I, meanwhile, slipped away and – you'll never believe it – _picked the lock _with these." James triumphantly pulled out a set of muggle lockpicks. Remus clenched his eyes, berating himself for his stupidity. Lockpicks! Why hadn't anyone thought of that?! It was _such _a simple idea…

Then Remus suddenly remembered the Mandrake leaf, and what his friends were doing. For him. He hesitated – he had asked this question multiple times now.

"Are you _sure _you want to do this? You have a choice, you can turn back-"

He was met with stony glares.

"If you think me and Peter are going to give up after all the trouble we've been to, mate, you evidently have no idea who you're talking to." James said stubbornly.

Remus sighed, though inwardly he was proud of his friends.

"I'm off to charms." He walked out, bag swung over his shoulder.

* * *

**_Three Weeks Later_**

* * *

Severus walked down the corridor to the potions classroom. The doors hadn't yet opened, but he hadn't gone there to wait. He knew that Lupin would be there early, the idiotic little teachers pet. If only they knew what he was…

Severus stopped outside the dungeon doors. The candles in their brackets were flickering, casting an eerie glow around the place. Like always, Lupin was there, waiting idly. He looked slightly paler than usual, most likely a result of the full moon being two days away. Lupin started as Severus stepped out of the shadows – evidently Lupin had not heard him coming.

"Lupin." Snape dipped his head in acknowledgement.

"Snape." Lupin replied coldly, having gotten over the shock. They said nothing else for some time, one waiting for the doors to open, the other pretending to. Finally, Severus spoke up.

"I heard your mother is ill." He glanced at Lupin. Severus felt a little ball of triumph grow in his chest; Lupin's hands were clenched.

"Yes, she is." Lupin said carefully, quietly.

"It's odd that she gets sick so _often, _isn't it?"

"It's not odd. She has a very bad immune system."

He was lying, Severus could tell. He was nothing if not perceptive. He paused, waiting for the right moment.

"And you travel home to meet her."

"Yes."

"Once a month." Severus said, smirking.

Lupin stiffened. He knew Severus was onto him now. Severus had to be very careful.

"I don't _appreciate these questions. _I assure you, there is nothing _unusual-" _Lupin said angrily.

"I didn't know that there was a path to the Hogwarts train next to the Whomping Willow."

Lupin glared at Severus, the dim light dancing of the scars on his face. It was unnerving sight, even for Severus, whose hand started to creep for his wand.

"I'm afraid I've no idea what you're talking about." Lupin remarked coldly. With that, he swept from the dungeons, up the corridor and out of sight.

Severus raised his eyebrows. He knew when he was being lied to. After a few more minutes, the sound of Gryffindors and Slytherins on their way to potions class could be heard. When the crowd finally appeared, Lupin didn't look at Severus once.

Severus knew he wouldn't get any more information out of Lupin, and was left to wondering who the other Lycanthrope might be. He was so absorbed in his thoughts he hardly noticed Lily chattering next to him during potions class.

A hour later, he was walking up the stairs to the library, intent on some more research. He heard the sound of arguing coming from the landing below him. Two Gryffindor second years, by the looks of it. Severus smirked, amused by the sight.

"-It's been going on for months now!" The shorter, blonde-haired girl was saying. "Ever since the holidays you've never been the same!"

The taller one muttered something.

"But that's just _it!" _blonde-hair shouted. "You're always tired! You never listen to me! Sometimes I think you don't even care…"

How pathetic. Two little girls squabbling over nothing.

"It's not like I have a choice, Anna." The tall one fidgeted, seemingly anxious about something. "I can't choose when I'm tired."

Something about what the girl had said struck Severus's attention; he leant over the rails, peering closely at the pair. They were far away -their voices had easily travelled upwards, that was what made them sound so clear- but Severus could just make out their faces. The taller one was pale, in a sickly way, and her voice was husky and shaky. She was exhausted. It couldn't be… Perhaps. The girl was probably the same height as Madam Pomfrey, after all.

"You ignore me constantly, Jill." Anna whined. "I just wish you'd pay some more attention."

Jill sighed, clearly frustrated. If only Severus could get a look at her face, see whether the second-year had any scars like that that Lupin…

"Fine." Jill replied, after a few seconds hesitation. The blonde smiled, her previous anger evaporated. "Come on, let's get some lunch."

The two turned away, walking down the stairs. But Severus smiled, for he'd seen the second-year's face. A long, dark scar ran across her cheek.

Just like Lupins.

Just like a werewolf's.

Severus was nothing if not perceptive.

* * *

**A/N: Due to my computer apparently having a squabble with , I was unable to update regularly. BUT I will be doing so now, so keep reading! **

**Thank-you to EchoTheHybrid and ReadBooksWriteThings for their wonderful ****reviews! Happy 2020 everyone!**

**-Always A Dragon**


	11. Chapter 11

Jill wiped her eyes, too sad to be angry at this display of weakness.

* * *

_She had been about to walk out of the portrait hole when Anna had dragged her by the elbows over to a chair._

_"__Come on, Jill." Anna said, her short blonde hair bobbing merrily. It made Jill want to throw up just by looking at it. Jill shook her head, feeling as though it might split in two. Anna had gotten the best seats in the common room, right by the fire._

_"__I… I can't…" Jill stammered, pale and sweating. She felt a pang of sadness as Anna's expression changed, lines forming over her forehead._

_"__You never want to sit with me."_

_Anna reached out to grab Jill's arm, which at the moment was aching as if it was broken._

_"__Don't!" Jill yelped, wincing and jumping backwards. Anna's eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry." Jill whispered. "I think I bruised it… I'm going to the Hospital Wing."_

_Anna's face turned stony, and she seemed to grow taller._

_"__You think some stupid boy's better than your friend, huh?" Sparks seemed to flash, and Jill took another step backwards._

_"__Anna! I nev-"_

_"__Yes, you do! You're always making up excuses, being oh so secretive. We _know _you have a boyfriend. Who is it, then? Or will you not even tell your own friend?"_

_Jill gaped, dumbfounded._

_"__I'm going up to the Hospital Wing." She repeated, though her voice was small._

_Anna became more furious. "Thought not."_

_There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and Lisa appeared._

_"__I heard voices-" Lisa's eyes travelled from the usually calm Anna to a horrified Jill._

_"__I'm sick!" Jill pleaded, though it came out as more of a whine. _

_"__You're sick now? I thought you bruised your arm!" Anna pointed an accusing finger at Jill, looking at a startled Lisa. "She ignores me, she lies, she never wants to talk to me!"_

_"__That's not true!" Jill replied, tears in her eyes now. She too, looked at Lisa, but her other friends face was expressionless._

_"__I think you need to take care of your friends better." Lisa remarked._

_Jill turned and ran out of the common room._

* * *

Jill rubbed at a stray tear, trying not to make any noise. Her plan didn't work.

"Jill?" Lupin asked, his voice travelling through the Shrieking Shack's walls. Jill swore softly. "Jill, are you all right?"

The recipient of this question was silent for a long time.

"Lupin…" she was hesitant, it _was _a rather personal question, "do your friends… Do they know?" _Do they know you're a werewolf?_

"Ah- Yes, they do. Since last year."

"How did you tell them?"

"I didn't. They found out on their own. I'm not good at excuses, and eventually they realised the pattern between my disappearances and the dates they memorised for astronomy class." He paused, and Jill could almost hear him thinking. "No one else has noticed, though." Jill closed her eyes, tears leaking from them. Lupin changed to a light hearted tone. "I thought you were never scared of anything, remember?"

"Being scared and being sad isn't the same thing."

"Oh." Lupin hesitated. "I didn't have any friends when I was young." Lupin said. He sounded as sad as Jill felt. "Any wizard friends would have told their parents of my being ill and their parents would have figured it out immediately. My parents didn't want me to be friends with muggles, either They were scared I might let something slip."

"Merlin." Jill replied softly.

The two were silent for a long time, both lamenting the terrible circumstances that had led them there.

"I used to like the moon." It was a whisper, but Jill knew Lupin could hear it. "I used to stargaze with my mum. Now it just makes me sad."

Lupin sighed. It was strange, sitting here in the dark and talking to people you couldn't see.

"I didn't really take much notice of the moon when I was young." Lupin said bitterly. "I'll never see a full one now. At least, not as a human.

Jill didn't know what to say to Lupin. They were both stuck in an unfair world with unfair lives with unfairness lumped over their unfair shoulders.

"The moon's coming up." Lupin said.

* * *

Anna avoided Jill the moment the latter was let out of the Hospital Wing. Lisa was evidently on Anna's side, and Jill spent her lessons sitting at the back of her class, alone.

When at last transfiguration ended, everyone rushed towards the doors. Jill bowed her head, and was almost at the doors when someone grabbed her sleeve. Lisa hung onto her robes with an angry expression on her face.

"You weren't in the Hospital Wing the day before yesterday." She hissed. Jill frowned.

"Yes I was." She replied, prising Lisa's fingers from the sleeve.

"You weren't. I went there, when you left. You weren't there." Lisa stuck her other hand on the sleeve. "Why are you lying?"

"I'm not. I was sick." Jill pulled out her wand and flicked it at Lisa, producing - Jill knew- a sharp stinging sensation. Lisa let go, her expression darkening even more.

"You _monster." _Lisa whispered venomously. Jill recoiled, the words stabbing her like shards of glass, and swept out of the room, her mind a rumbled of chaos. _You monster._

The words echoed around the corridors. More people were coming out of their classrooms. Jill was on the verge of tears – but she wouldn't go to the Great Hall- there were too many people. No, she would go to the library. She headed off down the halls, clutching her transfiguration books like a shield. Someone called her name but Jill didn't stop. Dimly she was aware of someone grabbing her shoulder, but she shook them off. Jill ran into the library, oblivious to the person behind her. She shoved her books onto a desk, about to collapse into a chair. Someone grabbed her shoulder, stopping her. Someone who wouldn't let go when she tried to shake them off. It was Lupin.

"Jill?" He asked. She looked up at him, angry.

"Let go of me."

"Tell me why you're so angry."

"Let go of _me!"_

"Tell me why you're so angry!"

"No!"

She glared up at him and he glared back. His eyes were still slightly wolfish from the night before last. Jill shot a stinging jinx at his hand, but Lupin was quicker, grabbing the wand and throwing it down on the floor.

Jill relented.

"Lisa called me a monster." It was said quietly, but with enough hurt. Lupin's eyebrows snapped together. Jill's eyes widened. "No! I didn't mean- She doesn't know- No one has figured out I'm a werew-" Jill stopped. It didn't feel right, saying it out loud, in the bright sunlit library. She huffed, looking at the floor. "It's just- Lisa doesn't like me anymore because she thinks I'm ignoring my friends. Because I'm always disappearing."

"Disappearing?" Lupin asked. Jill glared at him.

"On – you know – full moons."

"Oh."

Lupin had let go of her shoulder, and Jill took the opportunity to sit down in a library chair. Sitting down didn't make her feel any smaller – Lupin was already tall enough for her to feel that way standing up.

"Are you _sure _Lisa doesn't like you?"

"She called me a monster." Jill repeated.

Lupin was silent for a bit.

"That must've hurt." He replied finally. He dragged a chair from a nearby desk, sitting next to Jill.

"What if she's true?"

Lupin shuddered. He had thought on that for a long time, when he was little. Sometimes he still thought that now, when something bad happened.

"We're not…" he struggled to find the words to describe what he wanted to say. "We're not monsters, not exactly… Think of it like we're owls. Owls aren't monsters. But to mice – mice are terrified of them. To mice owls are monsters. But just to mice, and only to mice. We are like the owls. We're dangerous to humans when it's a full moon, but only to humans, and only on a full moon. It's the wolf's nature, we can't help it."

Jill still looked sombre.

"Do you think I should tell them?" She asked.

"What are their views on werewolves?"

Jill winced, thinking of Halloween.

"Not good." She replied.

"Then no."

The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch.

* * *

**A/N: Yet another chapter has been posted! Please tell me your thoughts in the reviews!**

**-Always A Dragon**


	12. Chapter 12

Professor Odiosis stood up behind the teachers desk, his raggedy brown hair like some strange birds nest. Like usual, most students were not paying attention, preferring to draw in their books instead. Jill was, too, or rather, pretending to. Her stomach roiled in shame, and her hand skittered over her parchment. While she and other had often joked that they would like to rip their ears off after listening to another hour of Professor Odiosis droning on, this time, Jill meant it. The topic – as luck would have it – was werewolves. Jill knew about the stigma and prejudice she would have to face for the rest of her life – Halloween was a prime example. It had never really struck her though, that the majority of wizards would see her as little more than a beast, a danger to peaceful society. Unintelligent. An animal. The realisation stung.

Jill lifted her quill from the parchment, twirling it around in her fingers. She was notorious for it, and within a few seconds the quill was little more than a feathery blur.

"Werewolves would kill their best friend, for they have no morals while in werewolf form." Professor Odiosis said calmly. Jill didn't feel calm at all. "They are dangerous to humans, and will attempt to bite and kill if the option is present. If there is no human to attack, the werewolf will bite and scratch itself, which is why so many werewolves have deep scars."

Jill tried not to touch the long, thin scar on her cheek. Her eyes grew darker and darker and the quill flew faster and faster.

"Many werewolves will prematurely age. After a full moon, their eyes stay smaller and yellowish, and their teeth slightly pointed. This continues for two or three days. It is very painful to transform-" Jill winced "-into a werewolf, as the bones must break and reform into those of a wolf. Fur sprouts, the eyes change and the fingers lengthen into claws."

"While this is very stressful on a werewolf, it is often worse to transform back. Often the werewolf will lose consciousness when turning back into a human."

The quill span round and round.

"There are several ways to distinguish a werewolf from a true wolf. The tail is tufted, the snout is shorter, the pupils of the eyes are smaller, the hunger for human blood-"

"And there's no wolves in Britain!" Someone at the back of the classroom shouted, to a few amused chuckles. Professor Odiosis blinked with as much enthusiasm as a toad. He turned to the chalkboard at the front of the classroom.

"A werewolf in werewolf form can be killed by a few different methods. Despite the tales told by muggles of werewolves being killed with silver this has been found to be false. Most killing spells will work with werewolves-"

The quill made one final rotation before flicking out of Jill's fingers with the speed of a flying bullet, landing some several metres away. Everyone stopped what they were doing, lifting their heads from their drawing. Jill scuttled off to retrieve her quill. Her classmates' eyes were following her with mild curiosity and incredulity, and Jill could only imagine how they would stare at her if they knew she was a-

Jill didn't like people staring at her.

The quill didn't turn once more during the lesson.

Not even when homework was assigned.

* * *

Jill stared down the row of shelves and books. She should have known she would get homework. The class had been told to write an essay on how to kill a werewolf. _Be brave. _She told herself._ Lupin has been living with Lycanthropy for nine years. You only need to read a chapter or so. No big deal. _But as she trailed her fingers over the thick spines, she found her confidence dwindling. _You coward! _She told herself angrily, and grabbed a book out at random. **Lycanthropy, The Facts, **it read. Jill sat down on the floor, not bothering to find a desk. Flipping to the contents page, she found the chapter she needed immediately, and proceeded to read.

_There are several ways to eradicate a werewolf in werewolf form…_

Within a few minutes, Jill was shaking in fury, and it took all her effort not to take it out on her quill. She jotted down notes and skim read most things. She only needed a few more dot points and was turning the last page in the chapter when-

_Studies have shown that Lycanthropes have a higher risk of death compared to most creatures. The studies show that at least 30% of werewolves die on a full moon. This is often due to hunters, blood loss or sheer exhaustion. Instead of returning to human form-_

Jill snapped the book shut – her heart was pounding. She was shaking this time, not from anger but from something else. It took her a little while to realise it was fear. No. She couldn't be- she wasn't-

But she was. Jill was _scared. _

"Are you all right?"

Jill's head snapped up, and made out the light brown hair of Remus Lupin. Her eyes narrowed.

"Are you _following _me?" Jill's voice broke, and she stuck her head in between her knees.

He snorted and sat down next to her.

Jill got the feeling she was having déjà-vu.

"Hardly. I enjoy being at the Library. I find it a wealth of knowledge."

"I swear you're following me."

_Sheer exhaustion. _She thought back to the last full moon. Lupin had been fine, but she had been in the Hospital Wing for four days. The time before, three. Her first transformation had barely tired her. Was she getting worse? _Sheer Exhaustion. _It was only a matter of time until-

"You're not – scared, are you?" Lupin sounded confused.

"No." Jill snapped back, even though she was. She waited a few more seconds, forcing herself to calm down again.

"Do you know how many werewolves die of sheer exhaustion on a full moon?" She asked. Jill lifted her head and saw Lupin wince. Jill didn't wait for an answer, and plunged on. "It's a lot, Lupin. It's a lot. And the werewolves who this happens to, they don't return to human form. _They stay a werewolf." _She shuddered. "I think I'm getting weaker."

Lupin opened his mouth, but she shook her head.

"Remember last full moon? Remember how long I was in the hospital wing?"

"Four." He said.

"Yeah, and that's _normal." _Jill snorted.

Lupin looked at her, the worry evident.

"When I was little, I was constantly tired." He said, blinking. Jill didn't see it, as she was staring sadly at the library book. "It gets worse before it gets better, as they say. It's fine, It'll pass."

Part of Jill knew that Lupin wasn't telling the truth, but part of her wanted to believe it all the same.

"Sorry." Jill said, grimacing and standing up. She gestured to the discarded library book. "Homework, huh?" Picking it up, Jill placed it back in its spot. For the essay, she'd make up the answers for the last couple of questions; she knew she would never ever come back down this isle. Lupin got up, too, and walked off.

Jill hoped he was right. The next full moon was only a week away.

* * *

**A/N: I probably should've set the last scene in another place, due to a previous scene already being set in the Hogwarts library, but I couldn't be bothered changing my pre-written document. So there, fellow library lovers, your wish has been granted. TWO scenes set in the library now.**

**WAIT NO IT'S THREE! **

**I think I'm addicted to magical libraries.**


	13. Chapter 13

Madam Pomfrey ushered Jill into the Hospital Wing as usual. It was cold. For some reason, more snow had fallen this month than in December. Jill didn't really have much energy to pursue this thought though. Her head was spinning and her limbs were shaking. She'd gotten strange looks from her classmates all day. When at last it was time to go to the Hospital Wing, she'd almost fainted. She was getting weaker.

Lupin stood up from his perch on the hospital bed, looking worried.

"Come on, you two." Madam Pomfrey said in exasperation. "We haven't got all day!" Lupin hurried over, and the three of them walked out of the Hospital Wing, with Jill now clutching her stomach.

"Lupin, you really need to-" she began, but he held up a hand. He looked a bit confused.

"Why don't you call me Remus? It's weird someone calling me Remus all the time."

Jill blinked, then puffed out her cheeks.

"_Remus." _She emphasized on the word, and his mouth twitched. "You really need to keep to the edge of the walls. And be quieter. Someone could hear us."

He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Neither of them did, for quite a long time.

When at last they reached the Whomping Willow, Jill was heaving for breath. She felt as though she'd run around Hogwarts three times. Her stomach lurched, her vision blurred and a vile taste came to her mouth.

"Oh, no." She muttered weakly, before she turned to the side and vomited all over the grass. Remus turned away, and Madam Pomfrey looked up at the sky. When she had stopped retching, the matron vanished the vomit with a flick of her wand. Jill wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve. Madam Pomfrey was now opening the entrance to the Whomping Willow, the stick levitating in mid-air.

* * *

Severus stalked the passageways of Hogwarts castle, his every nerve on edge. It wasn't yet curfew, but almost everyone was tucked away in their common rooms, protected from the cold outside. It would be suspicious if he was seen lurking around at this time. Outside, the last few rays of the setting sun cast an orange glow across the snow-covered grounds. Purple-coloured clouds drifted across the sky. Night was beginning to fall.

A few minutes ago, three figures had made their way down a hallway, walking as though they hadn't wanted to be seen. They had opened a small door in a wall, left the castle behind them, creeped silently across the lawn, and towards the Whomping Willow. One of these people was Madam Pomfrey. The other two – if Severus Snape's suspicions were correct – were werewolves.

Snape had watched all this, and waited a minute before following them. He wanted to keep a safe distance.

Severus turned down corridor after corridor, his memory serving as a map. He had the odd feeling he was being followed, but he could hear nothing.

The torchlight cast eerie shadows on the walls. The sounds of small creatures running down the corridor could be heard. This part of the castle was rarely visited, and cobwebs clustered at the sconces. A few tiny windows allowed a view of the grounds, yet the air was still choked with the smell of dust and disuse.

Down the hallway Severus walked, the sense he was being tracked growing stronger by the second. Was that footsteps he could hear? No. It was just a mouse. Snape approached the door in the wall Madam Pomfrey and the werewolves had left through, casting a simple "alohomora" to unlock it. Severus pushed on the handle, and it swung open. He was so going to catch those werewolves. Expose them for what they were. Cold air buffeted him as he looked onto the grounds.

"Severus!" A startled voice cut through Snape's thoughts. He whipped around, wand out, only to find himself face-to-face with Lily Evans.

"Lily." He breathed a sigh of relief and put his wand away.

"What _are_ you doing?!" Lily's face was a mixture of curiosity and indignation.

"I'm aloud to go outside, aren't I? It's not curfew yet." Severus replied mulishly. Would Madam Pomfrey already be too far ahead for him to catch up? "Anyway, were you _following _me?"

Lily waved the question away.

"Opening locked doors and slinking away to the grounds? Why didn't you just go out through the entrance hall?" Lily narrowed her eyes. "It's knee deep in snow out there and freezing cold, so I find it hard to believe you wanted to go out for a stroll."

Severus hesitated, fumbling for an explanation. He gave up.

"Lily…" He began. Snape hoped she wouldn't react badly, and he could be on his way. It might not be best to mention the Thompson girl just yet. "You know my suspicions that Lupin is a werewolf?"

Lily stared at him, for once with nothing to say. Severus continued.

"He was walking down this corridor with Madam Pomfrey, and he looked really ill, and it's the full moon tonight, and then they walked out the door, and I just wondered-"

"So you followed him." Lily interrupted, finding her thoughts at last. She crossed her arms. "You followed him and you're going to sneak up on him and demand to know if he's a werewolf."

From the sound of his best friend's tone, Severus didn't think Lily was going to side with him on this matter anytime soon.

"You make it sound as though I'm doing something bad." He grumbled.

"You can't possibly be saying you think this is _right-"_

"I'm saving Hogwarts! I'm exposing two dangerous creatures! I'm _helping _the students!"

"Two?" Lily said softly. "Who exactly do you think is the other Lycanthrope, Severus?"

Snape bit his lip. He shouldn't have said that. He knew Lily wouldn't like it if he told her Jill Thompson was a werewolf.

He muttered it anyway. Lily's eyebrows flew up into her hair.

"That's a beastly thing to say about someone." She said. "That's a horrible thing to say about someone, actually."

"But I have proof!" Severus kept thinking of how far away Lupin and Thompson must be by now. "I saw them walk down here-"

"That's hardly proof! It mightn't have been them, or they might've been going for a walk- Madam Pomfrey was probably just passing by- really, Severus!"

"But-"

"And let's say they _are _werewolves, which I don't think they are, how would _you _feel if you were them?"

Severus stopped talking, his mouth wide open. He tried to speak but failed.

"Just leave it alone, Sev." Lily looked disappointed in him. They both stood there for a few minutes, not saying anything. Suddenly, Lily's face softened, and a look of guilt passed over it.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I'm sorry." Lily Evans reached behind Severus Snape, and shut the door, cutting the cold wind off. "Do you want to play chess in the Great Hall?"

Snape nodded, a sense of relief that he hadn't offended his friend entirely.

He took one last look at the door behind him, before following the red-haired Gryffindor down the corridor. It didn't matter he hadn't followed Lupin and Thompson now. They were probably already too far away.

* * *

**A/N: Sneaky Snape.**

**Thank you to everyone who is reading this story! This was a very fun chapter to write and I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you to BellatrixTheStar and ReadBooksWriteThings for their wonderful reveiws!**

**-Always A Dragon**


	14. Chapter 14

Remus and Jill climbed up the creaking stairs in the shrieking shack, Madam Pomfrey behind them. Jill felt wrong. It was a strange feeling, but it made her uneasy. It was as if something bad was going to happen tonight, something terrible.

"You okay?" Remus muttered, glancing at the girl's sweat-soaked hair and worried expression. Jill shook her head slightly. She felt sick, in the way that made her stomach roil, and sick in the way that made her want to run away in fear. But Jill was a Gryffindor. She would stand strong. She would get through this. They reached the top of the stairs; stepped onto the landing.

"I don't feel right." She whispered back. "Something's wrong." She craned her neck, looking up at Remus. For the second time in a long time, she allowed slight fear to show through. She wished she had said something to Lisa and Anna before Jill had gone off to the hospital wing, but she hadn't. This sudden, irrational dread she felt was worrying. "Just in case…" Jill stuck her hand out solemnly. Despite the ridiculousness of it all, Remus did not laugh at the brown haired, brown eyed twelve-year-old in front of him. He shook the hand. Perhaps he too recognized the forbidding atmosphere encircling them like the slivers of dying sunlight peering through the cracks in the ceiling.

Madam Pomfrey watched them, a look of pity on her face. Remus walked over to his room, turning back at the last second to stare at Jill. The scratched floorboards, the tattered furniture – the house was an embodiment of the two of them and the struggles they'd faced. Jill sighed, walking to her own room, Madam Pomfrey following her. It was a strange sight, two people standing on either side of a wall, Jill thought.

In that moment, Jill realised -finally realised- Remus Lupin was her friend. Not just because they both knew what it felt like to wake up with deep gashes and know that _you, yourself _had done this, but because they enjoyed each other's company. How had she not recognised it? And so was Madam Pomfrey, in a way, even though she was the matron. A stab of fear shot through her, and Jill's Gryffindor facade cracked. She was worried, she was scared, and right now there was no point being noble. Jill looked up at Madam Pomfrey, and all of a sudden, lurched forwards- hugging the bemused matron fiercely. Sadness engulfed Jill, a sense of saying goodbye seemed to come over her. Tears poured down Jill's face. After a bit, Madam Pomfrey patted her on the back.

"Now, now, dear. It's all right. It's all right."

"But it's not all right!" Jill whispered, paranoia once again threatening to engulf her. "It's not all right at all!" She broke away from Madam Pomfrey, sniffling, looking down. Madam Pomfrey patted her on the shoulder in concern. There were glints of unshed tears in the matrons' eyes.

"Goodnight, Jill." She whispered, and with a final look of sadness, shut the door with a click. Then she locked it. Jill dried her eyes and sat down on the floor. The bone-deep ache, the exhaustion and the fear made her want to finish all this, forever. But while Jill might not have been feeling much like a Gryffindor at that moment, she was no Slytherin. She was no coward. She would live though this.

And then it hit her.

Jill wouldn't see the sunrise tomorrow.

Jill wouldn't see her friends again.

Jill wouldn't live through this.

Perhaps she had always known it. Perhaps she'd suspected all along. Jill thought and thought and wished she'd reconciled with Anna and thought some more. And she sat there, on a scratched wooden floor with the last bits of sunlight shining through the cracks in the walls.

"Remus?" Jill asked sometime later.

"Yeah?"

Jill hesitated.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, too."

* * *

Remus opened his eyes. A few slivers of morning sunlight danced on his face, but that was not what had woken him.

Someone had screamed.

He jumped up, ignoring the ripping pain in his side, or the way his arms had a billion new scratches on them. Running to the door, he pounded it.

"Madam Pomfrey?! Is that you?!" He yelled, panicking. He had never heard the matron scream, not once in three years. There was a muffled sobbing. "Madam Pomfrey?!"

He pounded on the door for several minutes before the key finally turned in the lock. The door opened to reveal a red eyes, crying Madam Pomfrey. Remus gaped, speechless.

It was a few seconds before he realised she had turned away from him and was walking away. It was a few seconds more before he realised Jill wasn't there.

"Madam Pomfrey? Where is Jill?" He asked, his heart thumping. Madam Pomfrey faltered. So did Remus. His heart leapt to his throat. "Where's Jill?" he repeated. He looked to the room Jill stayed in- the door was closed, but not locked. He ran towards it, wrenching himself out of the matron's grip. Remus pushed open the door, searching. He found her.

She looked peaceful, almost as though she were asleep. She was curled up, with one arm splayed outwards. Beneath the scatterings of thick fur, he could see the scars, the deep, red lines. Jill's nose was still a snout, though her mouth was almost human. Her eyes were closed, her ears still pointed. The tail was still there, and she was covered in coarse, brown fur. It was matted with blood.

Remus Lupin stumbled back, disbelieving. No. She couldn't be. Nononono. He screamed his friend's name, tears pouring from him. Someone grabbed him around the waist, dragging him away. No! Jill couldn't be- she was only unconscious- she would wake up! She _would _wake up!  
Madam Pomfrey nearly collapsed as Remus Lupin fainted.

Remus sat at the end of a hospital bed. James, Sirius and Peter sat next to him. At first, no one spoke.

"It's not your fault." James said.

"I could've listened to her-"

"She didn't know anything."

"I could've told her the truth-"

"And what would that have changed?"

The four sat in silence for a while longer. Remus tried not to look at the bed to his left.

"Her parents are picking up the body today. Sometime this hour." He said numbly.

No one replied.

Remus felt tired. Not the kind of tiredness that accompanied the full moon, but an emotional tiredness. It was draining.

"What are they going to tell the students?" Peter asked quietly.

"I- don't know."

"They wouldn't tell the truth. It'd be cruel to Jill's memory. If people realised they'd been classmates with a werewolf… They wouldn't say she's dead, either. Questions would be asked. The school might be shut down."

Silence.

"I think she knew." Remus said quietly. "Jill was worried all evening. Kept looking back at Madam Pomfrey and me. She knew she was getting weaker, knew it was only a matter of time. I think she knew… I think she knew she was probably going to- probably going to-"

Remus trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Everyone looked at their knees, unsure of what to say.

Guilt wrapped its arm around Remus.

The Hospital Wing doors opened. Madam Pomfrey poked her head inside.

"It's been ten minutes." She whispered softly. James, Sirius and Peter got up, each patting their friend on the shoulder solemnly.

Remus watched them leave, the doors shutting behind them. He was alone. The only friend he had in the world who knew exactly how he felt, who'd suffered the same things as he had, was now dead. After a while, he stood up on his rickety hospital-wing bed and peered through the tiny window in the wall. Two figures -Jill Thompson's parents- were making their way up to the castle, walking slowly.

"Goodbye, Jill." Said Remus sadly. "Goodbye."

* * *

**A/N: No, this story was never supposed to have a happy ending. Never. I'm sorry, and I was sad writing this too, but I never envisioned a happy ending. **

**I might write an epilogue, and I will write an authors note explaining everything, and i might add stuff here and there later.**

**But I never meant this story to be happy.**

**Please review, and more importantly, think on this little fic. Just think about it. For a while.**


	15. Epilogue

Anna poked at her boiled egg, watching the yolk start to congeal at the top. It was a gloriously sunny day, though the air was still frigid with cold. The light reflecting off of the snow outside shone through the Great Hall windows.

Anna felt slightly hollow inside. It wasn't guilt that weighed her down, though. It was worry, and it made her sick. She stayed up all night now, staring solemnly at the canopy of her four-poster. She looked out windows and down staircases, waiting for the brown-haired girl she knew so well to finally appear.

It hadn't bothered Anna at first. Jill was the kind of person who would mysteriously disappear for a few days and suddenly turn up with the typical "My mother was sick. I had to go home."

Anna had always had a niggling feeling she was being lied to. In the past, she'd been ignored by Jill, too, as well as brushed away, so the result was an entirely foreseeable explosion of anger. Jill really should've paid attention better to her friends, after all. Anna had bottled up her feelings for so long, and simply couldn't take it anymore. Their friendship was dead.

For quite a while, Anna had treated her ex-friend like Jill was invisible. Anna hadn't cared, and that was still the truth.

When Jill didn't turn up to lessons for several days, Anna never noticed. It was only when Lisa pointed out that the "poisonous, traitorous little beast" was finally gone that Anna realised. She still hadn't cared, not even when the days turned into a week and a week into a week and a half.

But as the weeks passed with no sign of Anna's former-friend, a small tendril of worry started to grow.

Anna was still angry at Jill; still had no desire to be friends with her. Yet here Anna was, sitting in the Great Hall, staring at her egg and wondering why the hell she was worried.

_Lisa_ wasn't worried. Lisa didn't care. Lisa wasn't even curious, not even for the sake of a good gossip.

"You're not seriously going to ask McGonagall where Jill is, are you?"

The brown-haired girl to Anna's right brought her back to reality and the present. Anna scowled, lines creasing her forehead.

"Yes, Lisa. I want to know what happened to her."

Lisa sighed.

"She's probably just gone back to wherever she lives. No doubt she's being home-schooled, Anna. Nothing more, nothing less."

"I'm curious." Anna replied moodily, flicking a bit of egg at her friend. Lisa brushed it off.

"Why do you care, anyway?"

"I don't."

"Fine, then."

"_Fine_."

They both stared at Anna's breakfast and the miniscule salt-grains scattered all over it for some time.

"So _are _you going to ask McGonagall, then?" Lisa broke the silence.

"I already told you yes. Stop bothering me."

"Just asking."

"No, you're bothering." Anna drove her fork into the egg in annoyance as she said it.

A few first years walked past them, chattering loudly. Anna wondered whether she was cold-hearted for not having noticed about Jill Thompson's disappearance. She decided not. Lisa, however, was not done with her lecture.

"And if you work out where Jill is, are you going to write her?"

"Probably not." The blonde-haired girl replied.

"Probably, or not?"

"Not."

"Good, then."

"Yes, good."

"But you're still going to talk to McGonagall."

Anna stood up, her fork clattering to her plate loudly. Everyone else was too busy with their conversations to notice.

"Yes, Lisa! I am! I don't care about Thompson, I hate her and she was a downright idiot to the both of us! But I want to know where she is, okay? I'm _curious._"

Lisa blinked, unfazed.

"Whatever." Was her friend's only reply.

Anna took one look at the congealed egg yolk on her plate and decided she'd rather just hang around the halls until McGonagall came back. She wasn't really hungry, anyway.

* * *

Half an hour later, Anna knocked softly on the door to McGonagall's office. She'd discovered where it was from a couple older Gryffindor students. They'd been sent there one day after placing dung-bombs near the Slytherin Common Room.

"Enter," Came the reply.

Anna pushed the door open softly, revealing a small room with simple furniture. McGonagall sat at her desk, marking assignments.

"Miss Green?"

Anna felt her mouth go dry. It was one thing knowing what she wanted to say to a teacher, quite another actually saying it.

"Is there anything you wish to tell me?" McGonagall looked up, distracted by Anna's silence.

The girl took a deep breath.

"I've -I've noticed Jill hasn't been around, lately."

McGonagall winced horribly, her glasses almost slipping off her face. The quill jerked, a few blobs of ink flying off it. Anna felt another twinge of worry. What had she said to upset the professor so?

"You are referring to Miss Thompson?"

"Yes. I was wondering why she hasn't been at school lately. I haven't received any letters or anything."

McGonagall sighed, peering through her spectacles at Anna. She seemed slightly sad, Anna noticed.

"I regret to inform you, Miss Green, that your friend… moved away recently… Miss Thompson will not be returning to Hogwarts."

Anna frowned, confused.

"Moved away?"

"She's being home schooled."

"I thought her parents were muggles."

"A Ministry witch or wizard will continue to teach her magic, away from the school. Is there any other questions?"

Anna's worry dissipated. Jill was completely, perfectly fine. There was nothing to worry about.

"No, Professor. I think I'll get to classes now."

McGonagall smiled, though the smile was very weak and thin. Anna wondered if she should ask where Jill's address was so she could write to her, but the image of Lisa's scorning face loomed in her memory. No, Jill wouldn't want a letter from her anyway. Anna walked out of the room, saying goodbye to the transfiguration teacher and closing the door quietly. She leaned against it, taking in the bright light coming in through the windows and the darker light permeating the end of the hallway. The feel of the oak door on her back was comforting, reassuring. Jill was fine. Jill was fine. As Anna leant back on the door, momentarily forgetting about classes, a sniffle came from inside the study. If she had listened more closely she would have heard quiet sobs as well. McGonagall was crying.

But Anna did not listen.

Instead, she strode off in the direction of the potions classroom, satisfied that everything was going to be alright. She never knew – nor did anyone, except a select few – that Jill Thompson was _not_ being home schooled, and the small, brave, 12-year-old girl had, in fact, never left Hogwarts.

**Finis**

* * *

**A/N: I said I would do an epilogue, didn't I? It took me a few months but I wrote it!**

**Anyway, this chapter was a bit happier than I wanted it to be, so I added in those last few lines to depress everyone. I've always wanted to write a chapter from Anna's POV. I got a bit sad writing this because how Anna believes Jill is still alive, and how she still cares slightly even though the friendship's dead.**

**I'm going to do an author's note next chapter (may or may not take a few months to write) just explaining the whole why I wrote this etc. so that's something to look out for.**

**Tell me what you thought, what you liked about this fic and what you didn't (maybe i'll edit it in the distant future) and whether or not you found this sad. Leave a ****review! Even if it's one word, I don't mind.**

**-Always A Dragon**


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